New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has acknowledged that he does not possess the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite earlier campaign promises to detain the leader. Mamdani, who had pledged during his mayoral campaign to arrest Netanyahu, stated in a video released Tuesday that he would "exhaust every legal option" but would not create new laws to facilitate an arrest.
Mamdani's earlier remarks, made in late 2024 to journalist Mehdi Hasan, indicated that Netanyahu was not welcome in New York City and would be arrested because the city's values align with international law. He reiterated his stance in October 2025, telling Fox News he would pursue all available legal avenues.
However, Netanyahu remains a close ally of U.S. President Trump. Trump addressed the matter on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday, stating, "Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others."
Netanyahu denies international charges of war crimes.